received in the course of a long, glorious, and successful war, carried on by Great Britain. I do not pretend to dive into the secrets of Cabinets farther than I am well warranted, or presume to point out the persuasive arguments employed to bring over the woman to whose influence this unexpected turn of affairs is attributed;[1] but this I will venture to assert, because I have the proofs in my power, that Gibraltar, Minorca, Jamaica, and the greater part of our possessions in the East and West Indies would have been among the first sacrifices that would have fallen, had it not been, I may say, for the miraculous interposition of Providence in our favour." As regarded the pacific attitude of France, which was being perpetually insisted upon by the Ministers, he said he would only remind the House of what happened in 1741 during the Spanish war, when Cardinal Fleury, a man of a most pacific disposition, directed the councils of France. Lord Waldegrave, the English Ambassador at Paris, frequently pressed his Eminency relative to an armament then fitting out at Brest, to know its destination, whether it was meant to join the Spanish fleet or not. The Cardinal always assured him in the fullest and most explicit terms that France was determined to take no part whatever in the quarrel. Lord Waldegrave, however, one day heard in the streets that the fleet had left Brest, to reinforce the Spanish fleet in the Mediterranean. He immediately repaired to the Cardinal to upbraid him with his breach of promise. "You were not misinformed, my Lord," replied the Cardinal, "the fleet has actually sailed, and for the purpose you heard. I confess likewise that I had frequently solemnly assured you of the contrary; and I further own, that Spain is entirely in the wrong, and that it is perhaps neither prudent nor politic in us to take part in their business; but I would wish you, my Lord, at the same time to perfectly understand, though we do not approve of the motives of their going to war, and will always carefully avoid to encourage them in their broils in the first instance, when engaged for any time
- ↑ Madame du Barry.
